ARCHANGEL

by Bernard Lee DeLeo

  “Good morning, Sister Mary Catherine,” Raphael greeted her.

  Catherine squealed, diving across Abaddon and fully onto a startled Angelina, who put her arms around Catherine sleepily.

  “Hey…Cat…” Angelina mumbled. She blinked at Catherine’s red face before focusing on Abaddon’s amused features. Noticing Raphael finally, Catherine’s distress became apparent to her. “Oh, hi Raph, is it time to get up already? It’s just Raph, Cat. Not that you don’t feel soft and warm this morning but I think we probably both need a tooth brush before we get this close.”

  “I didn’t mean to frighten you, Cat,” Raphael remarked. “I have seen you without clothing before.”

  Abaddon smoothed the hair back from Catherine’s face gently. “You need not be embarrassed, little one. Good morning, Sister Angelina.”

  Angelina released Catherine. She moved on top of Abaddon without hesitation, kissing him lingeringly. Catherine sat up with the coverlet held around her neck. She waved sheepishly at Raphael.

  “Show some restraint, Muffy!” Catherine admonished, pinching Angelina’s left arm.

  “Ouch… you little…” Angelina immediately attacked the again squealing Catherine. “I’ll show you some restraint.”

  “I’ll be in the living room when you get this sorted out,” Raphael told Abaddon with a smile as the two women wrestled around energetically. “Would you like some coffee?”

  “Very much, Raph.” Abaddon wrapped his arms around the bundle of thrashing bedclothes. Raphael retreated into the next room, closing the door behind him.

  * * *

  Abaddon separated a laughing Angelina from the bedclothes, kissing her neck and back while pulling her firmly away. With Angelina’s weight lifted, Catherine peaked out of the bedclothes. When she saw Abaddon leaning over a moaning Angelina, kissing her gently around the neck and downward, Catherine immediately leaped atop Abaddon. Catherine stretched out along the Archangel’s back, moving sensuously against him.

  “Let me feel your wings, Abaddon,” Catherine urged, clinging to him with as much contact as she could muster.

  The great black wings materialized around Catherine, spreading majestically. Angelina cried out with passion, looking up into Abaddon’s scarred face as he coupled with her. Catherine gasped in ecstasy as she clung to Abaddon, the raw power of his hovering wings sweeping through her. In a moment beyond simple pleasure, Catherine glimpsed the very foundation of heaven behind her closed eyelids. She writhed against Abaddon, stroking the black glistening wings while gently swaying atop the Archangel of the Abyss.

  * * *

  Raphael loved the smell of coffee perking. Looking out the huge picture window at the Las Vegas vista beyond, Raphael listened contentedly to the sounds of life from the next room. As if a black shadow moved inexorably over the landscape outside, the gleaming buildings lost their luster. Raphael sat up from his reverie, hands clenching the sides of his chair. A twinge of what he had felt when Abaddon had revealed the Abyss to him settled within his soul.

  Screams echoed within the bedroom a moment before the winged Archangel of the Abyss materialized beyond the picture window of the suite in full battle regalia. Abaddon, sword in hand, turned expectantly from side to side, searching for an enemy not yet visible, his right hand clutching his weapon’s handle so tightly Raphael could see it shimmer. A split second later, Raphael hovered next to his brother, grasping Abaddon’s shoulder.

  “We are well, brother. A great evil has arrived to reveal our next mission. Come inside now. We are well.”

  Abaddon met Raphael’s eyes for a moment, the haunting look of dread receding at his brother’s touch. Raphael motioned toward their room. In a short moment’s time the two Archangels stood within the living room of the suite once again.

  “It…it was as if we had been swallowed,” Abaddon muttered. “What manner of beast…”

  Angelina streaked through the door with Catherine close behind, launching herself naked atop the heaving Abaddon.

  “Oh, my Lord, I’m sorry,” Angelina sobbed. Her touch calmed Abaddon like nothing else on Earth. “I could almost see what must have been the Abyss. It so horrified me I lost all thought.”

  Catherine gripped Abaddon around the waist as if she were a passenger aboard a small boat in the middle of a typhoon, tears streaming down her face. Raphael steeled himself. He embraced his three comrades, adding the power of light while fighting off his fear of the Abyss. Slowly, Abaddon regained human form. He knelt, engulfing the two nuns in his arms soothingly.

  “As Raphael said to me, all is well. It came upon me in a monstrous wave. I lost control over my form. More importantly the essence of the Abyss which resides within my soul achieved ascendency over me. I felt we were in mortal danger. I am sorry, little ones, to have seared your souls with…”

  “My Lord,” Catherine interrupted, kissing Abaddon’s face all over. “I…I never dreamed… it was horrible beyond imagining. Another second would have blasted my mind. That is what Sister Angelina helps you to… oh my God… I’ve been so blind!”

  “C’mon, Cat,” Angelina ordered, pulling the clinging Catherine away from Abaddon. “Cut the cry baby stuff and let’s get ready to rumble.”

  “We have time, Ange.” Raphael nodded approvingly. “You and Sister Mary Catherine go get cleaned up while Abaddon and I talk. We’ll have breakfast while we wait for Carol to contact us. I must call Agent Pomada and make sure all is well from our last endeavor too.”

  Catherine gripped the kneeling Abaddon by the shoulders.

  “Come with us. We’ll get into the Jacuzzi again. It…”

  “I cannot,” Abaddon cut her off, standing. “We must gird for battle now, Sister Mary Catherine.”

  “But…but…it was so short a time,” Catherine whispered. Angelina gently put an arm around her shoulders. “We… I mean I felt… radiant…”

  “It’s so good, Cat, and then it’s so bad,” Angelina commiserated. “Let’s go soak while the boys come up with a plan. Can you bring us some coffee, Raph?”

  “I will bring it to you, Sister Angelina,” Abaddon said.

  “Then we will go have breakfast. I am hoping no one saw Abaddon and I outside our window.”

  “At this time of the morning? In Las Vegas?” Angelina chuckled, looking over her shoulder as she led Catherine away. “I don’t think so. Even if they did, whoever saw something would already be questioning their sanity.”

  * * *

  Abaddon filled two cups with coffee, adding sugar and creamer. Raphael handed him a tray to put the cups on. In the huge bathroom housing the large Jacuzzi, Angelina tested the rapidly filling water. She came over when Abaddon entered and took the tray from him, setting it within reach of anyone in the Jacuzzi. Angelina hugged Abaddon.

  “Cat’s in the bathroom.” Angelina gestured at the closed door separating part of the bathroom from the Jacuzzi. “I think her stomach’s a little upset.”

  “Is not,” Catherine called out from behind the closed door. “Don’t listen to Muffy. I’m fine.”

  Angelina giggled. She pulled on Abaddon’s hand. “Are you sure you don’t want to come in the tub with us. I’ll give you a sponge bath.”

  “Perhaps later, my love.” Abaddon kissed her upturned face. “I must talk with Raphael. Enjoy your…”

  The door to the adjoining bathroom door flew open. Catherine ran out, jumping into Abaddon’s arms. He held her tightly for a moment before Angelina grabbed Catherine’s ear and Abaddon released her.

  “Get in the tub. You stink.”

  “I do not!”

  “I’m hungry. Quit throwing yourself at Abaddon like a common street hooker and let’s get our bath done so we can go to breakfast.”

  Catherine kissed Abaddon’s hand. She entered the Jacuzzi with a sigh of contentment. Angelina followed her lead as Abaddon watched them fondly. He turned finally and left the room with a quick wave.

  Chapter 28

  Target Acquisition

 
; Raphael handed Abaddon a cup of coffee. The two Archangels sat down together. They sipped their coffee, enjoying the vista beyond the suite’s picture window, silently contemplating their own thoughts. Abaddon felt the dark remnants which had suddenly overtaken his consciousness only moments ago.

  “It was more powerful than the demon at the Presidio,” Raphael noted. “What would the Abyss have to do with this demon? It is a palpable presence.”

  “I don’t know, Raph,” Abaddon admitted. “It was not something I have ever felt before. That the Abyss would pop into your mind is more than a little troubling. We still have much to learn apparently. I felt we were already under attack.”

  “Do you think it can feel us?”

  “This will be most difficult if the thing does sense us already. The danger to Sister Mary Catherine and Sister Angelina will be greatly increased. Should we seek this monster out ourselves and deal with it?”

  “At the cost of its human host and in contrast to our Father’s guidance?” Raphael shook his head. “Sister Mary Catherine would not abide our bypassing her.”

  “Sorry, Raph, I am not thinking clearly. Perhaps the hunters are becoming the hunted.”

  “That didn’t work out too well for them at Fisherman’s Wharf,” Raphael reminded him. “If the demon can sense our presence why would it not flee? Surely the thing would not wish to lose its human host and the earthly power base built through the victim’s human connections.”

  “You assume it is not arrogant enough to believe we are its prey, rather than its hunters. If the human host remains unharmed why would it not believe it could dispose of us and return unopposed into the host?”

  Raphael sat up uneasily. “I don’t like to think about the power quotient capable of supporting such arrogance.”

  “You mean the power quotient capable of entering the consciousness of the Angel of the Abyss, through the Abyss?”

  “Thank you for that happy thought, Abaddon.” Raphael accepted Abaddon’s cup and refilled it. “All the more reason to let this play out for now until Carol tells us who the human host might be.”

  * * *

  “Bill Clinton?!” Angelina repeated unbelievingly as Raphael sat down at the table again after going to meet with Carol. “The demon’s inside Bill Clinton?”

  Her upper lip trembling, Catherine stared at Angelina. In moments both nuns were laughing uproariously. Abaddon and Raphael exchanged questioning looks. Raphael shrugged his ignorance of what could be so humorous. The Archangels drank their coffee with bites breakfast Angelina had ordered for them - a cheese omelet with rye toast. The surrounding noise in the restaurant covered the women’s somewhat loudly expressed mirth at hearing the human host’s name.

  “Please let us in on what amuses you two so much,” Raphael urged.

  “Raph… first a Gorby demon, and…and now a Billy Bent Pecker Demon…” Angelina lost herself in laughter once again with Catherine trying to quit making eye contact with Angelina so as to control her own outbursts.

  Abaddon and Raphael continued eating, realizing this would have to run its course before any further conversation could take place. A few of the people at nearby tables were watching the two nuns and even chuckling a little at the sight. Angelina finally covered her face with both hands, the memory of what they found in the underground room in Baker allowing her to regain control. Catherine had been looking everywhere but at Angelina. She managed to stop laughing finally with a huge sigh. When Raphael began to speak Angelina held up her hand in a stopping gesture.

  “Not yet… Raph. Give us a few more minutes.”

  They ate in silence until Angelina looked at Catherine and received a nod to go ahead.

  “Sorry, guys,” Angelina apologized. “We know who you mean. We know so much about him I doubt we’d have time to tell you everything.”

  “It fits so well,” Catherine said. “Like with Gorby, it makes us wonder if the Earth isn’t already being run by demons anyway. This is why we need to go out and buy some first class computer gear. The suite has DSL so we could show you guys what we found so funny.”

  “I agree. Can we find a store with computer merchandise here? It will give us something to do before Abaddon and I can confirm the target. This Clinton is supposed to be attending some function in the Venetian Ballroom section. It will be an all day thing. The function will be starting soon.”

  “Wow, how the heck could Carol get all that information?” Angelina asked suspiciously. “They don’t give out itineraries for Presidents and ex-Presidents to anyone.”

  “I’ll bet the Secret Service can’t hide the fact they’re preparing a meeting place in a hotel like this,” Catherine offered. “Especially not from a high up hotel employee.”

  “Bill Clinton is a past President of the United States,” Angelina explained when Raphael and Abaddon looked confused. “Each past President must be guarded by a special branch of law enforcement called the Secret Service, although I don’t know who’d want to kill Billy Jeff. He allowed more unanswered Terrorism attacks and gave away more high tech secrets to our enemies than any President in history.”

  “That idiot, Jimmy Carter, gave away the Panama Canal and allowed Iran to become what it is today: the major backer of terrorism in the world,” Catherine reminded Angelina.

  Angelina chuckled. “One demon at a time, Cat. By the way, and this is important for the mission, how do Cat and I look this morning?”

  “Stunning,” Abaddon answered immediately. “I like the shorts and… ah…”

  “Halter tops,” Catherine finished for him, putting her hand over his.

  “I agree with Abaddon.” Raphael smiled at the new look of hope on Catherine’s face as she held Abaddon’s hand. “You both look very nice. The dark blue colors match your skin and hair perfectly, Ange. I believe burgundy is perfect for you, Cat. Now, what does this have to do with our mission?”

  “Ange and I are going to have to be the bait, just like with those Terrorist weasels,” Catherine replied.

  “Even more so because the only way we’ll get close to Billy Jeff is if he notices us as the two hotties we are,” Angelina continued. “The ideal would be for him to invite us up to his room and he sends the Secret Service away. Otherwise, it’ll be nearly impossible for us to pull this off without an all out battle with the Secret Service.”

  “We can bypass them without harm,” Raphael said. “If your plan works, I will seal the room as I did at the hotel in San Francisco. No one will hear anything, nor will they be able to enter the room. This will all be contingent on split second timing. As Abaddon reminded me, the power of this demon is such you both will be more in danger than at any other time so far.”

  “Can you block this one from transporting us into some hell dimension?” Angelina asked. “If it’s more powerful than Gorby’s demon who knows what kind of shit pile we’d end up in the moment Cat evicts it from Billy Jeff?”

  “If our timing is impeccable, I will hold us where we are. Abaddon will…”

  “I will go where it takes me,” Abaddon stated, finishing Raphael’s thought. “A battle such as will take place could level the entire complex, killing thousands. This thing could project the Abyss. Perhaps it would like to go for a joint visit.”

  “You cannot, brother.” Raphael was visibly alarmed at the prospect. “Why do you think this demon can summon the specter of the Abyss? What if some fabric of the Abyss rests within its black soul?”

  “I am the avatar of the Lord. Have faith, Raph. Worry more about Sister Mary Catherine and Sister Angelina. You shield them. I will do what I was created for.”

  The two nuns looked from one Archangel to the other, Raphael’s fear for Abaddon infecting them as well. After a long moment, during which the two Archangel’s held each other’s gaze without flinching, Raphael smiled and nodded his head in agreement.

  “It will be as you say, my brother. I will shield them and I will not fail.”

  “I will guide this demon who thinks he kn
ows of the Abyss,” Abaddon vowed. “Soon, it will know much more of the Abyss than the monster ever dreamed of. Stay here with Sister Angelina and Sister Mary Catherine. I will see if I can sense the demon. I feel its pull even now. It would be good to know if it can recognize what we are.”

  “We’ll come too.” Catherine volunteered.

  “Abaddon must do it alone. It is important to know if the demon can pick us out when the other ones could not. If we all went, it would defeat your plan before it begins. You would never get an opportunity to be summoned into its presence if you are seen with us.”